Development of sago starch-alginate hydrogels for extrusion-based 3D food printing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2025.336896Keywords:
3D food printing, shear-thinning, storage modulus, native starch-alginate, sago starchAbstract
The integration of food-grade starch into 3D printing technologies holds significant potential for creating customized, sustainable, and nutritionally enriched food products. This manuscript explores the development of novel sago starch-alginate food inks, specifically examining their rheological behavior, printability, and application potential for extrusion-based 3D food printing. Indonesia, holding over half the world's sago forests (1.28 million hectares), underutilizes this native staple. However, challenges persist in ensuring structural stability, reproducibility, and functional performance. The primary problem addressed is the identification of suitable hydrogel formulations that achieve both reliable printability and structural integrity post-printing. This study establishes that successful 3D printing of alginate-sago hydrogels requires a critical concentration threshold of 20% alginate/sago formulation. A notable feature is the significant discrepancy between theoretical rheological predictions and experimental outcomes for mid-range composites (e. g., Alg6/Sago6 and Alg8/Sago8), underscoring limitations in current rheological models. Sago starch, with its high amylose content and favorable shear-thinning behavior, offers superior printability and storage performance. While sago incorporation significantly enhances shear-thinning behavior and allows for effective viscosity modulation, storage modulus proved more predictive of printability than viscosity parameters. These findings provide practical insights for optimizing starch in maintaining structural fidelity. A circular and cubical shape of printing with height of 10 cm was reached using the line deposition of around 0.5 mm with 90% accuracy of design pattern
References
- Whulanza, Y., Arsyan, R., Saragih, A. S. (2018). Characterization of hydrogel printer for direct cell-laden scaffolds. AIP Conference Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5023972
- Sun, J., Zhou, W., Yan, L., Huang, D., Lin, L. (2018). Extrusion-based food printing for digitalized food design and nutrition control. Journal of Food Engineering, 220, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2017.02.028
- Shen, D., Zhang, M., Mujumdar, A. S., Li, J. (2023). Advances and application of efficient physical fields in extrusion based 3D food printing technology. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 131, 104–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2022.11.017
- Habibi, H., Khosravi-Darani, K. (2017). Effective variables on production and structure of xanthan gum and its food applications: A review. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 10, 130–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcab.2017.02.013
- Udo, T., Mummaleti, G., Mohan, A., Singh, R. K., Kong, F. (2023). Current and emerging applications of carrageenan in the food industry. Food Research International, 173, 113369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113369
- Tahir, H. E., Xiaobo, Z., Mahunu, G. K., Arslan, M., Abdalhai, M., Zhihua, L. (2019). Recent developments in gum edible coating applications for fruits and vegetables preservation: A review. Carbohydrate Polymers, 224, 115141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115141
- Mudgil, D., Barak, S., Khatkar, B. S. (2011). Guar gum: processing, properties and food applications – A Review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 51 (3), 409–418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-011-0522-x
- Yang, D., Yuan, Y., Wang, L., Wang, X., Mu, R., Pang, J. et al. (2017). A Review on Konjac Glucomannan Gels: Microstructure and Application. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18 (11), 2250. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms18112250
- Cui, Y., Li, C., Guo, Y., Liu, X., Zhu, F., Liu, Z. et al. (2022). Rheological & 3D printing properties of potato starch composite gels. Journal of Food Engineering, 313, 110756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2021.110756
- Ehara, H., Toyoda, Y., Johnson, D. V. (Eds.) (2018). Sago Palm. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5269-9
- Sumardiono, S., Rakhmawati, R. B. (2017). Physicochemical Properties of Sago Starch Under Various Modification Process: An Overview. Advanced Science Letters, 23 (6), 5789–5791. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.8833
- Whulanza, Y., Azadi, A., Supriadi, S., Rahman, S. F., Chalid, M., Irsyad, M. et al. (2022). Tailoring mechanical properties and degradation rate of maxillofacial implant based on sago starch/polylactid acid blend. Heliyon, 8 (1), e08600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08600
- Yoon, Y., Kim, C. H., Lee, J. E., Yoon, J., Lee, N. K., Kim, T. H., Park, S.-H. (2019). 3D bioprinted complex constructs reinforced by hybrid multilayers of electrospun nanofiber sheets. Biofabrication, 11 (2), 025015. https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ab08c2
- Hirao, K., Kondo, T., Kainuma, K., Takahashi, S. (2021). Starch gel foods in cookery science: application of native starch and modified starches. Journal of Biorheology, 35 (1), 29–41. https://doi.org/10.17106/jbr.35.29
- Li, C. (2024). Unraveling the Complexities of Starch Retrogradation: Insights from Kinetics, Molecular Interactions, and Influences of Food Ingredients. Food Reviews International, 40 (9), 3159–3182. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2024.2347467
- Wang, S., Li, C., Copeland, L., Niu, Q., Wang, S. (2015). Starch Retrogradation: A Comprehensive Review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 14 (5), 568–585. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12143
- Feltre, G., Almeida, F. S., Sato, A. C. K., Dacanal, G. C., Hubinger, M. D. (2020). Alginate and corn starch mixed gels: Effect of gelatinization and amylose content on the properties and in vitro digestibility. Food Research International, 132, 109069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109069
- Ramírez, C., Millon, C., Nuñez, H., Pinto, M., Valencia, P., Acevedo, C., Simpson, R. (2015). Study of effect of sodium alginate on potato starch digestibility during in vitro digestion. Food Hydrocolloids, 44, 328–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2014.08.023
- Zhong, Q., Chen, Y., Zhang, X., Yang, G., Jin, W., Peng, D., Huang, Q. (2024). Correlation between 3D printability and rheological properties of biopolymer fluid: A case study of alginate-based hydrogels. Journal of Food Engineering, 370, 111970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2024.111970
- Ji, H., Zhao, J., Chen, J., Shimai, S., Zhang, J., Liu, Y. et al. (2022). A novel experimental approach to quantitatively evaluate the printability of inks in 3D printing using two criteria. Additive Manufacturing, 55, 102846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2022.102846
- Cui, Y., Yang, F., Wang, C., Blennow, A., Li, C., Liu, X. (2024). 3D Printing windows and rheological properties for normal maize starch/sodium alginate composite gels. Food Hydrocolloids, 146, 109178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.109178
- Yang, F., Zhang, M., Bhandari, B. (2015). Recent development in 3D food printing. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57 (14), 3145–3153. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2015.1094732
- Whulanza, Y., Hidayaturrahmi, P., Kurniawati, T., AJ, R. (2017). Realization and testing of multi-material 3D printer for bone scaffold fabrication. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1817, 040001. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4976786
- Fonkwe, L. G., Narsimhan, G., Cha, A. S. (2003). Characterization of gelation time and texture of gelatin and gelatin–polysaccharide mixed gels. Food Hydrocolloids, 17 (6), 871–883. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0268-005x(03)00108-5
- Yan, N., Yang, L., Xiao, X., Huang, P., Shu, C., Song, S., Tan, H. (2025). Research on Structural–Mechanical Property of Rice Starch Gels for Food 3D Printing and Flexible Sensing. Journal of Food Process Engineering, 48 (5). https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.70126
- Okazaki, M. (2018). The Structure and Characteristics of Sago Starch. Sago Palm, 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5269-9_18
- Du, C., Jiang, F., Jiang, W., Ge, W., Du, S. (2020). Physicochemical and structural properties of sago starch. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 164, 1785–1793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.310
- Nishiyama, S., Okazaki, M., Katsumi, N., Honda, Y., Tsujimoto, M. (2015). Surface charge on sago starch granules. Sago Palm, 23 (2), 77–83. Available at: https://www.sagopalmsociety.com/_files/ugd/3f58e5_4142a53f161840f68dc865bd28bed78f.pdf
- Singh, J., Singh, N. (2003). Studies on the morphological and rheological properties of granular cold water soluble corn and potato starches. Food Hydrocolloids, 17 (1), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0268-005x(02)00036-x
- Pérez, E. E., Breene, W. M., Bahnassey, Y. A. (1998). ariations in the Gelatinization Profiles of Cassava, Sagu and Arrowroot Native Starches as Measured with Different Thermal and Mechanical Methods. Starch - Stärke, 50 (2-3), 70–72. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1521-379x(199803)50:2/3<70::aid-star70>3.0.co;2-u
- Ronda, F., Roos, Y. H. (2008). Gelatinization and freeze-concentration effects on recrystallization in corn and potato starch gels. Carbohydrate Research, 343 (5), 903–911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carres.2008.01.026
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Doohan Taqdissillah, Muhammad Irsyad, Yudan Whulanza

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The consolidation and conditions for the transfer of copyright (identification of authorship) is carried out in the License Agreement. In particular, the authors reserve the right to the authorship of their manuscript and transfer the first publication of this work to the journal under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY license. At the same time, they have the right to conclude on their own additional agreements concerning the non-exclusive distribution of the work in the form in which it was published by this journal, but provided that the link to the first publication of the article in this journal is preserved.
A license agreement is a document in which the author warrants that he/she owns all copyright for the work (manuscript, article, etc.).
The authors, signing the License Agreement with TECHNOLOGY CENTER PC, have all rights to the further use of their work, provided that they link to our edition in which the work was published.
According to the terms of the License Agreement, the Publisher TECHNOLOGY CENTER PC does not take away your copyrights and receives permission from the authors to use and dissemination of the publication through the world's scientific resources (own electronic resources, scientometric databases, repositories, libraries, etc.).
In the absence of a signed License Agreement or in the absence of this agreement of identifiers allowing to identify the identity of the author, the editors have no right to work with the manuscript.
It is important to remember that there is another type of agreement between authors and publishers – when copyright is transferred from the authors to the publisher. In this case, the authors lose ownership of their work and may not use it in any way.





